The morning of our last full day in Hopkins Bay, I woke up anxious. The previous day, our planned excursion had been rescheduled due to spotty weather. This was our last chance. I ran to the window, and flung open the curtains to tentatively clear skies.

We made our way to the Sittee Point Marina and set off through a lush maze of mangroves. We chatted to our tour guide, Kenny, as well as a couple from Michigan that were also on the tour. Then we hit the open ocean.

Unfortunately, the good weather didn’t last long.

Kenny shouted over the crashing waves and motor to promise that things would calm down once we reached the barrier reef — Belize’s is the second largest in the world. And he was right. While the clouds stubbornly clung to the sky, when we reached shallower waters again, the boat returned to a calm bob.

And then it was time for the fishing part of the tour to begin. I have to admit, I’m not a fisherwoman — my sole experience with it were two short-lived stints (not) catching piranhas in the Amazon river basin. I actually don’t even eat fish. That said, the Cook-Your-Catch tour is a signature excursion at Hopkins Bay Resort, and I’m all about being open to new experiences. And if I get to laugh at my little sister shrieking and being totally grossed out by bait fish? That’s just a bonus!

After an interesting demonstration of caste net throwing, in which Kenny collected our bait sprats, we were back out on the open ocean — an ever calmer one this time, thankfully.

Olivia got really into it — or at least got really into pretending to be really into it.

Victory! Okay, at least a little one. The fish just weren’t biting, which was more than okay with our contingent of the tour. The Ohio couple seemed a little more disappointed by the lack of a big catch, but me? I was secretly rooting for the fish.

Next up was snorkel time! This was the part I was really excited about. Our first trip to Belize twelve years ago was the first time I’d ever seen coral reefs, and I remember the experience vividly. Now a seasoned and passionate scuba diver, I couldn’t wait to see how the memory held up.

So in we swam.

There’s no contest — this was the best snorkeling I’ve ever done. The reefs were vibrant and healthy, the fish were colorful and diverse, and the waters were calm and clear. I loved pointing out my favorite underwater friends and telling my mom all about them. She even stayed in for extra credit when Olivia and Kirsten returned to the boat.

Though I was the reluctant last out of the water, even I eventually turned in my fins. Kenny promised that what came next would be worth it.

And as we approached the edge of Bread and Butter Cayes, I had to hand it to him — he was right.

This little private island paradise was all ours, at least for a few hours. As we swung in rainbow-hued hammocks and stared up at the clear blue skies, we marveled at how close we’d come that morning to cancelling. What a mistake that would have been! Eventually, as Kenny and the island’s groundskeeper prepared the freshest lunch a foodie could dream of, we explored the little spit of sand.

Talk about gorgeous! Turns out, there’s a tiny hut available for rent on the island. “Next time,” my mom daydreamed, “we’ll add on a night here.” Can you imagine waking up to this?

Though Kenny offered us another round of either snorkeling or fishing, we couldn’t bring ourselves to leave Bread and Butter. Instead, we popped the champagne we’d packed in our beach bags and toasted to a day of vacation well done.

Eventually, though, the sun started to make its slow descent towards the horizon, and it was time for us to head home to Hopkins Bay.

This little slice of Belize was tough to wave goodbye to! While most travelers to the country head to the islands of Caye Caulker or Ambergis Caye to get their beach fix, I feel that the mainland coastal villages like Hopkins and Placencia offer a unique and slightly less touristy, less crowded alternative. The big benefits to traveling to this region of Belize are getting a taste of the local Garifuna culture, and from my admittedly limited experience, getting a better snorkeling experience at healthier and more diverse reefs.

Best case scenario? Do like we did and hit up both an island and a mainland coastal village! Throw in a jungle destination for good measure, and you’ve got the perfect three stop itinerary for the beautiful country of Belize.

Best case scenario? Pack a couple of crazies like these.

Are you more of a fishing or snorkeling fan? Stay tuned for our adventures in the jungle!

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Missed a post? Read all my Belize coverage here! Many thanks to Hopkins Bay Resort for hosting us and making our family trip so special. As always, you receive my honest opinions regardless of who is footing the bill.

Planning a trip to Belize for August 2015? You’re in luck! Hopkins Bay has a US$99 a night special, a full 60% off the rack rate, for August travel. That’s a serious deal.

Absolutely stunning — your own private island, even if just for a few hours is so dreamy! I remember taking a 4 Islands Tour off the coast of Koh Lanta, arriving at “the Beach” island was one of the worst travel experiences for me, so many people and so little left of the beautiful beach. This looks to be completely the opposite — thanks for writing about Bread and Butter 🙂Jenia recently posted..Spaces Around the Globe: Hungary’s Parliament – Budapest

I’ve heard that from a few people about “The Beach” tour. I loved that movie so much and it meant so much to me (it was basically why I went to Thailand the first time!) that I don’t think I want it destroyed for me, ha.

Well, isn’t that the cutest little island there ever was! What a special excursion, and such a pretty section of the reef! I used to be terrified of the ocean, but about two years ago in the BVIs I decided to give snorkeling a try and I fell in love with it. Fast forward to this year and I even tried scuba diving…in Belize! You inspired me to do so!Susan recently posted..Tourist at Home: National Building Museum

I would 100% agree with you the best way to see Belize is staying inland (which so many forgo) and then staying at one of the coastal villages. Belize was definitely one of the best snorkeling destinations I have been to thus far. Looks like you had an amazing family vacation!Kerry recently posted..Lake Pleasant Regional Park

Gorgeous pictures, as always. This island looks idyllic! I am so jealous of the snorkel-and-relax adventures you constantly share. Reminds me of my one time snorkeling in PR and how much fun it was to be that close to real nature. 🙂Maddy recently posted..High Five for Friday, vol. 11

I have really loved your blog over the years, but now I feel like every single thing you do is sponsored. I get that you need to make a living, but not all of us can afford your private islands……I’m happy for you, but I also miss being able to find cool things to do everywhere in the world, and now I feel like this isn’t the place for that.

Hey Cait, I’m really sorry to hear you’ve been disappointed with what you’ve been finding here. This stay at Hopkins Bay was in April of 2015, and I actually had to look back at my calendar to see what my previous sponsored hotel stay was prior to that — it was in November of 2014, when I did a hotel review over my birthday in Koh Tao. In the six months in the interim, I paid for every hotel and hostel out of pocket (and crashed on a lot of couches!)

And to be honest… this is the kind of trip I’ve always been blessed to take with my family, who save on stuff and splurge on experiences. The only difference in this case is that I was the one treating. If you’re looking for cool and affordable spots in Central America, I hope you’ve seen my coverage of Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala, where I hostel-ed and shoe-stringed it the whole way!

Cait, I’m Arlene, a rep from the Hopkins Bay Belize and I’d like for you to know that this is actually the right time for you have adventures like Alex. Flights from the US are going for extremely low prices at this time and you can book at Hopkins Bay for as low as US$99/night/couple. Give us a call or email us and we promise you’ll have an unforgettable adventure as well.

Hi Arlene,
I am currently planning a couples retreat to Belize with my wife and like Cait (although a year later) I would love to enjoy Belize with my limited budget.
We are planning to travel in September, what offers would you have available at that time?

The snorkeling and fishing photos are really cool. I didn’t know that you don’t eat fish so that was awfully brave of you to try and “catch” them anyway!

I like snorkeling and have done so in both Egypt and Vietnam and I’ve been on a fishing trip too. You tend to think that it’s going to be extremely boring. But it isn’t. Mind you, my newbie fishing experience was in Poland. Nobody spoke English or German. And I was the only woman on board!

It’s hard to compare just one reef to an entire subcontinent, but I can say this was definitely one of the best snorkeling experiences I’ve ever had! It was the perfect combination of a shallow reef, great conditions, no other boats to be seen, and a really healthy and diverse reef. No other boats was key — normally a snorkeling spot this great would be slammed with people!

I did a snorkelling trip from Caye Caulker and I would rate the reefs I snorkelled on par with the Great Barrier Reef – they were that good. Bread and Butter Cayes look amazing! I have a bit of an island obsession and tiny ones like this are my favouriteKatie recently posted..Escaping the crowds in Waikiki

Snorkeling off Caye Caulker was amazing. In comparison I did find the reefs in Hopkins a bit healthier and more diverse, but that might just be the fact that we were the ONLY snorkelers in Hopkins versus hundreds in the water in Caye Caulker at the time!

Wow, absolute paradise!
I’m more of a snorkelling kind of girl. I’ve been vegetarian for a decade now, so I don’t think fishing would fit into my ethical eating habits. Fish also kind of freak me out… But I’m happy to swim near them!

I do feel like this is the very best kind of fishing in that it’s very sustainable — respecting the boundaries of conservation zones, line catching and taking only what is needed for immediate consumption — but yeah, I still squealed a lot and covered my eyes for most of it!

This place looks gorgeous. I don’t like places that are overrun by tourists, so it is nice to hear that there are still places left in Belize that are just as gorgeous but less visited.tammyonthemove recently posted..The day I drank frog juice in Arequipa

Belize is pretty interesting in that the vast majority of tourism seems concentrated on Caye Caulker and Ambergris Caye… so head to the mainland beaches and you’ll pretty much have them to yourself! Love that about this country.

I love both snorkeling and fishing! I had a great time once fishing from a pontoon off the island of Jeju in Korea and eating my catch as sashimi! But I have to say, the setting was nowhere as stunning as this!

My dad was always a fisherman so I was brought up fishing, but can’t really imagine doing it now. I don’t like to kill things or see things being killed I guess is what it comes down to!Leah recently posted..This is MY Athens: Not Your Average Walking Tour

holy smokes, those are some darn good pictures! We love taking our grandchildren snorkeling when they come to visit us, here is to hoping they get the travel bug like you did when they get a bit older!

Hey Kristen, in cases where a guide picks something up briefly to show it to customers and give them an explanation (as in this case) I believe that it is okay — like a touch tank in an aquarium, for example. We were quick to take a look and snap a photo and put him back where we found him. I’ve always been under the impression that that wasn’t harmful — but I’m off to do some Googling to see if I need to correct my ways 🙂

I'm a New York native who left my home to explore the world slowly and thoroughly. I’m just a little obsessed with photography, scuba diving, and reading guidebooks to countries I have no immediate plans to visit.